Beyond Words: Story of Sensitivity Training and the Encounter MovementRussell Sage Foundation, 1972 M03 11 - 278 pages Sensitivity training, T-Groups, and encounter groups have become a way of life. Beyond Words traces the history of this movement, the background of its successes, its varieties, and its failures. Dr. Back's approach is neither one of wide-eyed admiration nor hostility. Instead, he has written a book that provides the first long, hard look at sensitivity training as a social phenomenon. From its fortuitous beginnings the movement is followed through its developments at Bethel, its growth across the country, its new centers in California, its spread to Europe. The novelty of this movement, an almost religious exercise based on the scientific ethos, is related to the peculiar conditions of the last quarter century. The movement has acquired its own mythos. Dr. Back examines the interplay of the conflicting aims of self-expression and change, and shows how these contradictory aims have affected the ramifications of the movement in theory, in management, in recreation, and in education. Results emerging from studies on effects of sensitivity training indicate a recurrent pattern of great immediate emphasis followed by little permanent beneficial effect. Finally, Beyond Words assesses the overall impact of the movement, its relation to science, its possible changes, and its portent as a symptom of the state of society. Dr. Back examines the interplay of the conflicting aims of self-expression and change, and shows how these contradictory aims have affected the ramifications of the movement in theory, in management, in recreation, and in education. |
Contents
Social Science and Social Movement | 13 |
The Pursuit of Happiness | 31 |
Chronicles of the Movement | 47 |
Internal Logic and Mythology | 77 |
Precursors 88839 | 89 |
Current Concepts and Methods | 103 |
Landscape | 119 |
PsychResorts | 131 |
Teachers and Change Agents | 175 |
The Elusive Search | 189 |
Beyond Science | 201 |
Playing with Fire | 213 |
Escape or Movement | 229 |
BIBLIOGRAPHY | 239 |
REPORTS OF RESEARCH EVALUATING SENSITIVITY | 247 |
257 | |
Other editions - View all
Beyond Words: The Story of Sensitivity Training and the Encounter Movement Kurt W. Back Limited preview - 1987 |
Beyond Words: The Story of Sensitivity Training and the Encounter Movement Kurt W. Back No preview available - 1987 |
Common terms and phrases
accept action activities aims American Applied Behavioral Science approach aspects basic become belief Benne Bethel Carl Rogers Chapter conflict culture direct discussion Dissertation Abstracts effect emphasis ence encounter centers encounter groups Esalen especially evaluation exercises experimental fact feedback feelings field function Gestalt therapy group action group development group dynamics group experience group process group techniques Heinlein ideas ideology important individual influence intensive group interaction interest Journal of Applied kind labs Lewin look mainly ment methods Moreno National Training Laboratory needs niques organization organizational Organizational Development orientation participants patient practitioners problems procedure professional psychiatric psychodrama psychotherapy relationship religion religious responsibility rience ritual Ronald Lippitt scientific sensitivity training groups sensitivity training movement session situation social movement social psychology social science society staff strong experience studies Synanon T-group Tavistock tech theory therapist tion tivity training traditional trainers whole workshop York